Anton Babchuk | Defenseman | #33

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Anton Babchuk has agreed to terms on a contract with Salavat of the Kontinental Hockey League, the club's GM tells Sports.ru's Igor Eronko.

Babchuk had one assist in seven games with the Flames this season and is a long way from fantasy relevance. Terms of the contract weren't immediately available, but chances are Babchuk got a much better payday to return home than he would have in the NHL. Tue, May 28, 2013 11:45:00 AM

Sportsnet reports that the Calgary Flames are trying to trade defensemen Anton Babchuk and Cory Sarich.

The two blueliners are like many other Flames players: they have no-trade clauses. Chances are, they'll take a chance to play elsewhere, however ... if some team wants them for some reason. Sun, Mar 24, 2013 04:41:00 PM

Babchuk assisted on Curtis Glencross' goal and logged 16:37 minutes. That's a solid start for Babchuk after missing Calgary's first 11 games. He's worth keeping an eye on as he could have some fantasy value if the Flames give him decent minutes. Sat, Feb 16, 2013 09:05:00 AM

Babchuk began participating in contract drills this week after missing every game this season for the Flames. He's got some offensive upside when healthy, registering two goals and 10 points in 32 games with the Flames last season. He might be someone worth monitoring once he's cleared for game action. Fri, Feb 8, 2013 05:24:00 PM

Babchuk assisted on Curtis Glencross' goal and logged 16:37 minutes. That's a solid start for Babchuk after missing Calgary's first 11 games. He's worth keeping an eye on as he could have some fantasy value if the Flames give him decent minutes.

Babchuk began participating in contract drills this week after missing every game this season for the Flames. He's got some offensive upside when healthy, registering two goals and 10 points in 32 games with the Flames last season. He might be someone worth monitoring once he's cleared for game action.

"This Monday, before we left for Detroit, he skated his first contact practice," Flames GM Jay Feaster said. "He'll have another contact practice and I'd imagine by the end of the week the doctors will say that the shoulder is good to go and he'll be cleared." Babchuk has missed the Flames' first seven games this season.

Look for Anton Babchuk (shoulder) to be cleared for contact this week.

Babchuk was injured during his time in the KHL where he had three points and 22 penalty minutes in 31 games. The Flames are deep on the blueline and Babchuk could have a tough time getting back in unless Calgary makes a trade or there are some injuries. He had two goals and 10 points in 32 games with the Flames last season so he is able to contribute offensively at times. Stay tuned.

Babchuk had been skating, but this marked his first practice since sustaining the ailment during his KHL stint. His status for Saturday's game isn't known, but we wouldn't be surprised if Calgary keeps him out of that. The good news is that after Saturday, the Flames are off until Thursday, so he'll have plenty of time to work on his conditioning.

Anton Babchuk didn't exactly light up the KHL, giving people little reason to keep an eye on him fantasy-wise.

Despite a howling slapper, Babchuk only managed a goal and two assists for three points in 31 games for HC Donbass. The flawed blueliner doesn't bring much to the table defensively, so seeing him do little to affect the box score isn't promising - although the Calgary Flames probably aren't overly surprised.

Babchuk had two goals and 10 points in 32 games with the Calgary Flames last season. The Donetsk-based team is the only Ukrainian team in the KHL. Last season, Babchuk was just one of three Ukrainian-born players in the NHL.

It has been a horrible season for Babchuk who had eight goals and 27 point for the Flames last season after a November trade from Carolina. He has been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions this season rendering him useless as a fantasy player. His goal was on the power play as the Flames had a 5-3 advantage.

Anton Babchuk is likely to return to the fold for Calgary on Thursday after the Flames lost Chris Butler to injury on Tuesday night.

He has been a healthy scratch for the past 13 games, but with Butler and Derek Smith out he'll get an opportunity to play again as an injury replacement. Babchuk has five assists in 17 appearances this season.

Depth Charts

Monahan has scored 27 goals in each of the last two seasons, and he's scored at least 22 goals in each of his first four seasons. He's a solid bet to score 25-plus goals and close to 60 points. He and Johnny Gaudreau are the two best fantasy forwards on the Flames roster.

Bennett had a disappointing last year, as he had just 13 goals and 13 assists in 81 games. "Obviously, I'm coming into this year a year older and more experienced," Bennett said. "I'm definitely a lot more confident this year. Like I said before, I still have a lot to prove in this league. There's still a lot I want to do. It's just a matter of taking advantage of my opportunity. Wherever I get that opportunity, I've gotta seize it right away." He should be able to improve his numbers this season.

Look for Mark Jankowski to crack the Flames lineup out of training camp.

The center was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, in 2012 and after a four-year career at Providence College, Jankowski turned pro at the end of the 2016 campaign. He had 56 points last season in 64 games with Stockton of the AHL and played a game at the NHL level. He should be a top-nine skater for the Flames. Look for a 15 goal, 35-40 point season if he plays a full season in the NHL.

Johnny Gaudreau netted a pair of goals in Friday's 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Gaudreau missed all of training camp last year because he was in a contract dispute with the team. As a result, he didn't have as good a season as he had the previous year. Now that the drama is behind him, he should go back to becoming a top-end offensive threat. Gaudreau had 18 goals and 61 points in 72 games last season. He picked up 78 points in 79 games the previous year.

Micheal Ferland will begin the 2017-18 campaign with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.

Ferland spent much of last season playing with those two so this isn't a big revelation, but it's still good information to have. He had 15 goals, 25 points, and 50 penalty minutes in 76 games last season. He recently agreed to a two-year, $3.5 million extension.

Michael Frolik earned the distinction of being in the best shape out of the Calgary Flames' players.

That's based on the Flames' fitness testing. Flames captain Mark Giordano finished second overall. "I wouldn't go too far with that one," cautioned Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan. "If you look at Gio, his numbers are all up from last year. They're not down. They're up. Fro didn't test last year because of the World Cup. And there's still some debate — some good hockey debate — about the tests because they're all weighted differently. Gio won a lot of the events but didn't win the overall. So the battle rages on." Still, it's a nice way for Frolik to start things off and it's particularly encouraging given that he had wrist surgery over the summer. He had 17 goals and 44 points in 82 games last season.

"I didn’t have a number that I wanted to get down to. I just knew that I have to stay light, I have to stay quick, I have to keep up with these young guys ..." Brouwer explained. "That was part of it — just making sure that I give myself every opportunity to be as quick and as powerful as I can." The 2016-17 campaign was a step back for him offensively as he scored 13 goals and 25 points in 74 contests. It wouldn't be surprising to see him bounce back this season by recording around 40 points.

Calgary assistant GM Craig Conroy can see Spencer Foo playing in the NHL next season.

"My expectation for him is to push and make the NHL club," Conroy said. "He's got speed, he's competitive, and he's got skill. The thing I like probably the most about Spencer is about how hard he competes. Does he start in the NHL? That'll be up to him. But I see him playing in the NHL next year. I expect that, and he probably expects that himself too." Foo feels like he can take advantage of his opportunity and claim a roster spot with the Flames. The team isn't deep at right wing, which could also work in his favor. The 23-year-old forward had 26 goals and 62 points in 38 games for Union College last campaign.

Even being healthy for training camp is a positive change for Curtis Lazar compared to his rough 2016-17 campaign.

Lazar missed all of the Senators' 2016 training camp and some of the season due to mononucleosis. He went on to record a disappointing four points in 37 contests in 2016-17. He's naturally looking to bounce back this season and it helps that he's added 10 pounds over the summer after losing some weight during his battle with mononucleosis. "I've put in the work this summer," Lazar said. "Everyone says, 'Oh you're in the best shape of your life.' Just staying healthy was a big jump for myself. I'm ready to go."

Garnet Hathaway wants to play for Calgary on a full-time basis this season.

Hathaway split the 2016-17 campaign between Stockton of the AHL and the Flames. He picked up 20 points and 67 penalty minutes in 31 matches with the Heat along with five points and 44 penalty minutes in 26 appearances with Calgary. "I guess you could say there was a sense of accomplishment last year … but more encouragement, really," he said. "It's a lot different than the AHL, the minor leagues, and it was exciting for me. I gained a lot of confidence. I mean, it's the best league in the world. To play with those guys and not seem out of place, to know you have the caliber to play there, is huge." Hathaway has a chance to land a spot on the fourth line out of training camp.

The other nominees were Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, golfer Ernie Els, and the New York Mets' Curtis Granderson. "I am so incredibly honoured to receive this award," Giordano said. "To be mentioned in the same sentence as Muhammad Ali is something I could never imagine. Mr. Ali was more than just an athlete. He was a global icon that led numerous humanitarian efforts to better the lives of thousands around the world. I would like to thank the Ali family and ESPN along with congratulating all nominees for their community efforts." The award will provide him with a $100,000 grant for Team Giordano, which children across four high-need schools in Calgary. Since 2014 Team Giordano has donated $300,000 in funding, which has helped 1,900 kids. He also was given the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2016.

Dougie Hamilton feels being paired with Mark Giordano was a sizable factor in his success this season.

Hamilton got off to a rough start in 2016-17 as he had six points and was already minus-nine in 16 games through Nov. 12. After that, the decision was made to pair Hamilton with Giordano and from there Hamilton had 44 points and a plus-21 rating in 65 contests. "It was definitely a big change from where I started the season. I think I was playing with a bunch of different partners, third-pairings and that kind of thing," Hamilton said. "I had a bad stretch of games with a lot of minuses. (Gulutzan) put me with Gio and it kind of turned my season around. I tried to make the most of it and take the opportunity." Hamilton thinks very highly of Giordano and said that he looks up to him. Given their success together in 2016-17, it wouldn't be surprising to see them paired up again next season.

The Calgary Flames are hoping that T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic will be their second defensive pairing.

The Flames got Hamonic in an offseason trade with the Islanders and want his defensive acumen to help out the offensively talented Brodie. Brodie had six goals and 36 points last season but was a minus-16, tied for the worst on the Flames. A bump in his plus-minus will make Brodie a more valuable fantasy player. He should be taken in the middle rounds of most deeper drafts.

Hamonic was acquired from the Islanders at the NHL Draft and he will add some sandpaper to Calgary's top-four group. "I think that's just the way I grew up playing the game – you've got to do what you've got to do," he said. "If you ask players, they'll say I'm someone to who wears his heart on his sleeve and invests a lot in the game."

Michael Stone has signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension with the Calgary Flames.

Stone could have become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday. Stone had three goals and 15 points in 64 games between Arizona and Calgary in 2016-17. With Stone locked up, the Flames have an impressive group of blueliners that also includes Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton and Travis Hamonic.

Matt Bartkowski's first goal in a Calgary uniform was a big one as it sent the game into overtime.

Bartkowski's goal tied the game with St. Louis at 2. The Flames eventually won it in overtime on Sean Monahan's goal but the move to ink Bartkowski to a two-way deal in mid-February paid dividends on Saturday. Bartkowski has little fantasy value but he had some on Saturday. He has only a goal and two points in 17 games this season.

Brett Kulak is one of five Calgary defensemen in the running for the sixth and seventh spots on their blueline.

Kulak's competition is Mark Bartkowski, Tyler Wotherspoon, Rasmus Andersson and Juuso Valimaki the Flames first round pick in 2017. It's likely that Valimaki will need more seasoning so Kulak has to beat out two of the other three. "In the end, they’re going to take the better player, who they think is going to help the team," Kulak said. "I hope it’s me." Kulak has played 30 NHL games in his career with 21 coming last season where he had three assists. He has no fantasy value.

Smith allowed four goals on 13 shots before leaving halfway through the game. "It was far from good," Smith said. "But the good thing is there’s a lot of work left to do. I’ll be out there first thing on Wednesday to get some stuff done. There’s been a lot of lead-up to this pre-season, so it was nice to get out there and at least get into a game. It wasn’t the outcome I was looking for, but it’s the pre-season, and I don’t necessarily look at the results. I want to feel good in the regular season, and this was just a stepping stone." You can't read too much into preseason results, especially when you're just talking about the preseason opener. Still, Smith's struggles might attract a bit more attention given that he was acquired by Calgary over the summer and his results over the last three years have been less than ideal.

The Carolina Hurricanes' willingness to retain half of Eddie Lack's remaining salary was a major factor in shipping him to Calgary.

The Flames acquired Lack, Ryan Murphy, and a seventh-round pick in 2019 in exchange for Keegan Kanzig and a sixth-round pick in 2019. Lack comes with a $2.75 million cap hit in 2017-18 before he's eligible to become a UFA, but the Flames will only be charged for $1.375 million of that. "I think it’s a big part of it," Flames GM Brad Treliving said of the reduced cap burden. "From an economic standpoint and a salary cap standpoint, that made it work. He comes in at a very manageable number, and that was certainly a big part of this equation." Lack will enter the season as Mike Smith's backup goaltender.